


A much needed talk

by Aknolan



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, they have a bit of an argument but it turns out okay in the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-28 13:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30140520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aknolan/pseuds/Aknolan
Summary: Tensions are rising in Vacuo and Ruby only sees one solution. She will use the relic of destruction, at the cost of destroying herself in the process. Penny takes issue with this plan.
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	A much needed talk

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on an idea that started in the Nuts and Dolts discord server when talking about chapter 11. This idea was basically "what if penny tries to talk ruby out of doing something dangerous, but ruby snaps at her saying penny has no right to say that after asking ruby to kill her".  
> I'm also not the only one who is doing something with this idea! Fallinglikemagic(on tumblr) / nyabbykeromatsu(on ao3) is working on a comic!

“The conditions are clear, Ruby. If you use the sword, you will be destroyed too. What you are proposing is a suicide mission.”

Penny had dragged Ruby to her room and closed the door behind them so they could argue about this without any random people passing by and hearing them.

Ruby crossed her arms. “I know. But what other options do we have? We have been rushing from one crisis to the next. I have no choice, it has to end somewhere!”

Penny frowned. “But it does not have to end _you_.” She sighed and took Ruby’s hands. “Please, Ruby. I do not want to lose you. Don’t give up your own life so easily.”

Ruby looked down at their linked hands and her expression softened. But it only lasted for a moment before she looked Penny in the eyes again with a sharp gaze. She pulled her hands away and put distance between herself and Penny.

“No,” she shook her head, “you have no right to say that to me. Not after you asked me to kill you.”

Penny winced at her words and looked away. Ruby knew and saw how much it hurt Penny to be reminded of what had happened. How much Ruby’s words hurt her. She wished she hadn’t said them.

She didn’t wish she could take it back.

She also knew this was something they needed to talk about, but there was no time for that. It wouldn’t matter much longer anyways. And she couldn’t risk Penny talking her out of this. Ruby balled her hands into fists.

“look, Penny… I’m the leader. This is my responsibility, and it’s my choice to make. I have to fix this, no matter the cost to myself. So you can either do as I say, or you can get out of my way.”

Penny’s gaze snapped back to Ruby, and for a moment fire flashed in Penny’s eyes. “I will _not_ watch you kill yourself.”

“Then _leave_.”

Penny flinched and took a step back. And this, Ruby did wish she could take back.

“I-…” Penny’s expression changed to something between hurt and defiance. “If those are your orders, _ma’am_.” She spat out the last word, turned around, and started walking away.

Ruby stood there frozen for a second, thoughts rushing through her mind. She knew this wouldn’t feel so painful for long, she didn’t have much time left to feel anything at all. But Penny – Penny would hopefully have a very long time left to feel hurt about this.

She used her semblance to rush in front of Penny. “Wait! I can’t let this be our last conversation.”

“In that case,” Penny moved around Ruby towards the door, “I would advise you not to use the relic.”

“Penny, please… don’t leave me.”

Penny stopped, though she didn’t turn around. “If you do not want me to leave, then why did you ask me to?”

“Because,” she was angry? That was part of it, but not all. Because she didn’t want Penny to watch her die? True enough, she knew how much that would hurt Penny. Remembered how much it had hurt at Beacon. But that wasn’t really it, was it?

“Because I don’t want to use the relic, but I _need_ to. And I know that if I let you try to talk me out of it, you’ll succeed.”

Penny spun around to face her again. “Ruby Rose, that is the _worst_ possible reason.”

She knew the full name should probably make her feel very concerned, but mostly she was relieved that Penny had turned around and was willing to stay and talk for now.

“I know. But it’s the truth. I don’t see a way to save everyone, without using the relic. And I can’t lose anyone else, I can’t risk anyone talking me out of this. I just…,” Ruby sighed, “I want to keep everyone safe. I want to keep _you_ safe, please let me do that.”

Penny’s tone was calm and controlled, but Ruby could still hear the pain. “My father said that too.”

Before he died. Penny didn’t say anything more, but she didn’t have to. Ruby knew how hard it had hit Penny. She had barely responded to anything, and for weeks anyone who went near her could feel the cold radiating from her.

Ruby could feel it now, too.

When she didn’t respond, Penny continued. “Earlier you mentioned the time I asked you to kill me. If I should not have asked that of you, why can you ask me to let you die?”

She couldn’t. And yet it still felt different to Ruby.

She walked back further into the room and sat down on the bed, looking at Penny with weary eyes. “Did I ever tell you how close I was to stopping the fight during the Vytal Festival? How close I was to saving you?”

Penny lingered near the door for a moment, but then walked back to sit next to Ruby. There was still some space between them.

Penny frowned when she finally answered Ruby’s question. “No, you never mentioned it. We have never talked about what happened at Beacon.”

Ruby let out a dry chuckle. “We probably should have.” She took a steadying breath before she recounted what had happened. “I figured out their plans and I wanted to stop the match but… I was too slow. If I had figured it out sooner, or if I had gotten past Mercury, maybe none of it would have happened.”

Would Penny still have died? Would Pyrrha have still tried to fight Cinder? Would Beacon have fallen? She would never find out now. But that wasn’t all.

“When you asked me to kill you, I had already failed you. When the Ace Ops stole one of your swords, I should have realized,” without noticing, she tensed all of her muscles and her fingers dug into the sheets, “I should have stopped them. But I figured it out too late. And I was so, _so_ scared that I would have to watch you die again.”

She felt the tears welling up but this was not the time to cry. She shouldn’t even feel so bad about it, Penny was fine now. But she did feel bad about it.

“I was already so scared, even before you asked me to kill you.”

“Ruby…”

A single glance at Penny’s face confirmed her suspicions. Somehow, Penny was concerned for her. After what she had just said, and even though what Ruby was talking about was probably much more painful for Penny herself… Penny was concerned about her. She stared at the ground, because she didn’t want to cry right now and if she looked at Penny any longer she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop it.

She got through her words slowly, stopping for a moment whenever the tears were especially close to breaking through. “What if I’m too late again? If I had acted sooner before, maybe I wouldn’t have come so close to losing you.”

She tried to calm down, letting go of the sheets that were now curled far into her hands. She didn’t think it was working.

“And I know twice now you turned out okay by way of a miracle, but I don’t think we have any miracles left.”

For a while, neither of them spoke. Ruby had nothing left to say, and Penny… all Ruby knew was that she hadn’t left yet, and it didn’t seem quite as cold anymore.

When Penny spoke it had been long enough that Ruby felt like she could look at her without crying.

“I am also afraid.”

“What… are you afraid of?”

Penny held out a hand, and created a ball of snow to float above it. “Like you said, I have already had two miracles. But not just that. I am also afraid that we cannot save everyone. And I am afraid something will happen to the others.” She let the snowball disappear and looked at Ruby. “Or to you.”

Ruby didn’t know what she could say to that. She knew what she needed to do, she couldn’t choose her own life over those she needed to save. “I don’t see any other options.”

Penny surprised Ruby with a soft smile. “I didn’t either, when I was fighting the virus. But you showed me otherwise.”

More than anything else, Ruby noticed how hopeful Penny seemed. And with that Ruby knew she had lost, there was no way she could take away that hope.

“It just… seems so impossible. What are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, but if anyone can figure it out…” She paused, pushing a stray strand of hair out of Ruby’s face and cupping her cheek. “It’s you.”

Ruby sighed and leaned into Penny’s hand. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to talk about the plan.”

Penny giggled, and Ruby decided that talking about it wasn’t so bad after all, as she pulled Penny closer and into a hug. She was content to stay like this until duty called again, but there was still one more thing she needed to say.

“I’m sorry I told you to leave.”

Ruby couldn’t see it, but she was sure Penny was smiling as she answered. “I’m sorry I tried to listen."


End file.
